The Aerialist
by KurtandBlaineGleek
Summary: Blaine goes with his friends to see the McKinley Big Top Circus. There, he is captivated by an aerialist who takes part in a death-defying feat Blaine is selected to volunteer for. Klaine! Rated for safety!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I really should be banned from starting new ideas but I get them, I can't help but to write them! I think I'm going to try and start making myself work on one story at a time after this. Things will be updated, but probably sporadically. I'm going to try my hardest to not get anything else new going with the exception of collaborations I'm working on with other people. :) So, you have a choice when you finish reading this. I can turn it into a chapter story or I can leave it as is and let it stand alone as a one-shot, although there really isn't any romantic stuff in it yet. That would have moved too fast but it does imply Klaine at the end. :) So, up to you guys! Just read it first. This idea popped into my head while reading a different story with a completely different plot and in no way similar to this at all, which I'm still trying to figure out how that happened. So, I had to get it down. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Woe is me because I do not own Glee. But if I did, Kurt doing this would be so pretty! And you'll see how my bad poetry, means I do no own Glee.**

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><p>"Blaine!" The curly-haired boy looked up in surprise as the door to his room banged open and it was all he could do to keep from being tackled by the wonder twins. He moved swiftly to the side as his friends Jeff Sterling and Nick Duval went crashing to his bed. "Awwww," Jeff pouted as he noticed Blaine standing easily beside the now vacated bed.<p>

His roommate Wes Montgomery rolled his eyes, sighed, and set his history book down on the bed in front of him, folding his arms across his chest.

"Do you boys mind telling Blaine and I why you had to barge into our room in excited nature?" Wes stated in a rather irritated voice.

Jeff and Nick glanced at each other, wide grins spread across their faces. They looked like children in a candy story.

"The McKinley Big Top Circus is in town!" they both shouted together.

Wes rolled his eyes again. "So?"

Jeff's mouth dropped open. "So? Wes, we _have_ to go! Tonight!"

Blaine looked over at Wes, his eyes kind of wide and curious and there was no denying the slight pleading in his expression. Wes frowned. "Don't tell me you really want to go Blaine?"

It was the dapper boy's turn to roll his eyes. "Come on Wes. We just came off a win at Sectionals. We could use a night of fun."

For a moment, the Asian boy just sat there thinking to himself. Jeff, Nick, and Blaine were all staring at him hopefully, begging with their eyes for him to give in. Though chances were, even if he didn't give in, the three of them would just go by themselves anyway.

Another sigh finally broke from Wes' mouth. "Fine," he resigned, throwing his hands up in the air. "Just don't make us look stupid," he added, glaring pointedly at Jeff and Nick.

The blonde boy exchanged a look with his brunette partner in crime and they both mocked offense, placing their hands to their chests and dropping their mouths open. "Us? Make you look stupid? Never! Wes, you need to have more faith in your friends!" Wes rolled his eyes. Damn wonder twins. Sometimes he wondered if they weren't real twins who had been separated at birth. But Jeff and Nick were madly in love with each other, even if they claimed just to be best friends.

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><p>Half an hour later, Wes and Blaine found themselves standing with Nick, Jeff, Thad, Trent, and David in front of the entrance to the McKinley Big Top tent. They stared in wonder at the large red and white striped tent. You'd think none of them had ever been to a circus before. Jeff and Nick were jumping up and down excitedly as they joined the queue of families and other kids and teens spilling into the mouth of the tent, taking seats for the show. Wes had bought the tickets and held them for everyone, refusing to let either of the wonder twins get their hands on them, knowing they would surely lose them easily in all their excitement.<p>

They entered the tent and Wes rolled his eyes at the boys. "Honestly, are you two sure you're not five?" The wonder twins frowned at him and both pouted.

The group of Dalton Academy boys made their way to seats in the front row, which after much protesting from the wonder twins, were deemed the only place to sit when you go to a circus as awesome as the McKinley Big Top.

The McKinley Big Top Circus was world famous. The majority of it acts were teenagers who were all high school age. They joined the circus at the age of fourteen or fifteen, but only if they had background training in any of the aspects of a circus life and left when they were seventeen or eighteen. Just like four years of high school. In a way, you could call it high school for gifted kids. There was staff on board that actually did teach the teenagers the things they were expected to learn so the performers got an education. But few of the adults involved with the McKinley Big Top were actual performers.

In a sense, the McKinley Big Top Circus was one of the most unique circuses in the world. Most of the teens that spent their high school careers as performers in McKinley Big Top went on to make household name successes of themselves.

Jeff and Nick were still bouncing excitedly when the lights seemed to dim and a spotlight broke in the center ring. The squealed and jumped so high that Jeff's popcorn flew out of the carton and hit Wes in the face.

"Watch it would you?" Wes spat. He was beginning to wish he'd brought his gavel. Jeff ignored him and Blaine clapped a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing at him.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" came a voice. The wonder twins squealed again. All eyes went to the center ring where a man in a sparkling red tail coat and gleaming black vest and matching pant stood, a headset on his head, capped off with a stunning red sparkling top hat. "Boys and girls, I am your ringmaster, Ringmaster Schue! And I would like to welcome you to the McKinley Big Top Circus!"

The audience erupted into cheers. Wes looked unfazed. In fact, he looked positively bored. He yawned and Blaine frowned at him, shaking his head. David nudged him.

"And now, if you will direct your attention to the right-hand ring, I'd like to start us off with the bareback skills of Rachel Berry!" the ringmaster went on. The spotlight fell on him and illuminated on the right-hand ring, where a particularly petite brunette girl was galloping into view on the back of a horse.

"Bareback riding? What's so impressive about that?" Wes asked, rolling his eyes. Just than, something hit him in the face and the next thing the Asian boy knew, water was dripping down his cheek. He blinked and looked only to find a clown with a weird fro on its head snickering, a squirting flower in his hand. Wes felt his face heat up and it didn't help that both Blaine and David had broken out into laughter.

"Geez Wes, lighten up!" Blaine choked between chuckles. People were ohing and awing at the girl riding bareback who was probably doing some rather impressive looking tricks. Wes fell into a more irritated mood and turned his eyes away from the action.

And that was how the Asian boy stayed.

Blaine found himself thoroughly entertained though. He had a funny interaction with an extremely tall clown who pretended to be clueless. The clown had stuffed football that he kept hiding behind his back or putting in Blaine's lap or even on top of his head and than was acting as though he didn't know where it was.

"You gave it to Blaine!" the wonder twins shouted with giggles.

The clown pointed at Blaine and they squealed louder. Blaine couldn't help but laugh. He held out the stuffed football. The clown nodded, turned his head and pointed. This confused Blaine.

Within seconds, the ringmaster had come over, this being well into the show and many of the acts having gone already. The spotlight hit Blaine and the dapper boy blinked. "Well, hello there, it seems Frankenteen has elected you," the ringmaster said cheerfully. Blaine was confused.

"Sorry? Elected me?"

"Tell me, what's your name son?"

"Um, Blaine." Blaine was still confused and he could feel all eyes on him, including his friends. The wonder twins were dead silent for once.

"Blaine, are you afraid of anything?" That was a peculiar question.

"Um…no?" Blaine said.

"Are you interested in being a brave volunteer? Frankenteen obviously thinks you're perfect!"

Blaine still didn't know where this was going. He could hear Jeff and Nick prodding him to go ahead and do it. So, he figured, what harm could it do?

"Sure," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Excellent!" the ringmaster said. He held a hand out for Blaine and Frankenteen clapped excitedly. Blaine took the hand Ringmaster Schue offered to him. The man led him out into the center ring. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Blaine has consented to volunteer for a very brave feat that will mark both the end of our show and the end of the next act." Just than, Frankenteen and a floppy blonde headed clown took Blaine's arms and started leading him off. "While Frankenteen and Trout take Blaine off for preparations, feast your eyes to the sky folks and enjoy the wonders of the Flying Cheerios!"

Spotlights lit up the top of the tent showing a mass of girls and a few guys clad in glimmering red and white body suits. The aerialists. Blaine found his eyes staring up at them even as he was being pulled into a back area where the tall clown seemed to size some sort of outfit up and handed it to him with a helmet.

"You said you were brave right?" Blaine was taken aback. The clown had spoken and the curly-haired boy had forgotten that he didn't need to be in character anymore. He nodded. "Brave enough to allow yourself to be shot out of a cannon with no net?" he asked.

Blaine stared at him. "What? I don't have that kind of training!" he shouted loud. The clown laughed.

"Don't worry dude. My brother's going to catch you." Blaine stared again. "My name's Finn by the way. My real name." He patted Blaine's shoulder. "My brother is an aerialist, their star actually. Put that on and go watch. I promise you won't want to back out." The clown winked and walked off.

Blaine still wasn't sure what was going on. They intended to shoot someone with no training out of a cannon and an aerialist was going to catch him? For a moment, the dapper boy contemplated running after the clown – or Finn as he'd said his name was – and pulling out of it. But than he thought he'd feel guilty and his friends would never let him live it down if he did that.

So, sighing heavily, Blaine put the costume on, and was surprised to find that it fit. He tucked the helmet under his arm and approached the opening to the tent rings, raising his eyes up.

Girls and guys were flying through the air, jumping from one trapeze to another, catching on each other's hands. Blaine watched as a blonde girl pushed off the platform on the swinging bar, swung back and forth a few times for height and precision, than let go, pushing herself to flip through the air and catching the hands of another girl with dark hair who was hanging upside down from a second swinging trapeze. Blaine had never seen a girl play the part of the catcher. But if that wasn't enough, what he saw next was even more impressive.

As another blonde girl, one with shorter hair than the first left the platform on the swinging bar, the first one flipped her legs up to press her feet into the dark haired girls shoulders than let go of her hands. The dark haired girl caught her by the ankles as she dropped. It was at that moment, the blonde who'd just swung from the platform somersaulted off the bar and the first blonde caught her hands so they were now hanging three down!

A boy caught the empty bar and carefully swung it back out. The first blonde threw the second with force and she flew back through the air, twisting slightly and catching easily to the swinging bar and swinging back to the safety of the platform.

This action was followed by the first blonde swinging back up to catch her hands once more to the dark haired girl's and than the dark haired girl throwing her back through the air. She too, caught the bar easily and swung back to safety. The dark haired girl than pulled herself up so that she was merely sitting on the bar.

There was a strike of music and a brighter spotlight shined directly between the two platforms, which were over the center ring. Blaine narrowed his eyes, wondering how this could get anymore amazing.

A long white strip of cloth unraveled out of nowhere in the center of the spotlight and Blaine was surprised to see there was a tall slender boy hanging from it. Even from far away, Blaine was captivated. The boy was wearing tight red leggings and a white form fitting t-shirt. His skin was pale and smooth as milk. His perfectly coifed chestnut hair seemed to shine in the spotlight. But it was nothing compared to the shine of his eyes. They were so piercingly beautiful that Blaine could see them from where he stood. And then he heard the ringmaster's voice.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you, the heart and star of the McKinley Big Top aerial team, Kurt Hummel!"

_Kurt._

Blaine instantly thought that was the most beautiful name he had ever heard in his life. His eyes were glued to the boy as he performed death-defying feats on that ribbon cloth. Entangling himself by one ankle and gracefully hanging out. Sticking his legs straight out to the side while clinging to the ribbon by the wraps around his wrists. His feet gracefully pointed, his moves and elegancy like a swan and easily executed. Blaine watched in pure captivation as he performed trick after trick flawlessly.

And then came a frightening moment. Kurt wrapped his body in the cloth and allowed himself to just tumble right down the long length of ribbon until he could gracefully place his feet on the floor. Blaine's heart stopped. A drop like that would kill someone who wasn't professionally trained. And yet he had a feeling that no one else who was would dare try anything like that.

The crowd applauded a bar began to lower from the ceiling, one identical to the trapeze bars. Kurt smiled and waved and blew kisses. And than for a moment, his eyes locked on Blaine's and the two boys just stared. A soft smile graced the pale boy's face as he slid easily onto the bar, which was now rising again to the ceiling.

A hand fell onto his shoulder and Blaine jumped, only to see the tall clown.

"This is it dude. You ready?"

It was than that Blaine noted the cannon. The massive barrel gun was being rolled out into the right-hand ring. Blaine could now see in the distance that Kurt was on the other side of the tent, stretching his legs and swinging down from the bar so that he was hanging upside down just like the dark haired girl had been earlier.

He was going to be shot clear across the tent with no net? Blaine gulped. But he had to do this.

"Come on man," said a voice from his other side and Blaine looked to see the boy who had been playing with the lions and tigers earlier. The Mohawk on the boy's head sent a slight shudder through Blaine's body.

The ringmaster was speaking again. "And now folks, the grand finale of our show. May I have our brave volunteer?" The Mohawk boy and clown gave him a shove and Blaine stumbled out toward the cannon and the ringmaster, helmet still held under his arm.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his friends watching with anticipation and was that fear in Wes' eyes. Jeff and Nick just looked excited though.

"Nervous Blaine?" the ringmaster said. And strangely, Blaine found that he wasn't. "Have you ever been shot out of a cannon before?" Blaine shook his head. "Well, first time for everything. Let's just pray it's on its mark tonight."

"Wha-what?" Blaine stuttered. He could just make out Kurt swinging upside down on the far side of the tent. The ringmaster chuckled.

"You see Blaine, our cannon has been a little sick lately. She's been a spit fire and shooting off aim." Blaine swallowed hard and tried to tell himself this was just for effect. "Still, Kurt never fails," he said and the curly-haired boy found himself glancing toward Kurt. "If the cannon messes up, he'll save you anyway," he added.

Silence fell as a rolling stairway was wheeled out to the front of the cannon. Ringmaster Schue led Blaine around to it and nodded for him to climb to the top, which Blaine did, trying to keep his nerves down.

"You all right up there Blaine?" the ringmaster asked when Blaine was at the top and facing down the barrel of the cannon. He nodded. "Good. Now would be a good time to put that helmet on!"

Blaine could mentally hit himself in the head. He'd almost forgotten about the helmet. He nodded and slipped it on.

"Now Blaine, go ahead and climb feet first into the cannon." Blaine hesitated only a moment but gripped the top of the barrel with his hands and hoisted his feet up so he could slide them in. As he was sitting in the mouth the wheeling stairs were pulled away. Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself into the cannon and allowed himself to slide down.

There were a few tense moments of silence and than the ringmaster's voice rang out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I know you must be frightened for Blaine's safety. He has no prior training or experience and yet, we are shooting him out of a cannon. He's very brave volunteer. I know you must be wondering how is he going to get out of this unscathed? Well, our performers are professionals and they know what they're doing." He paused and Blaine could just imagine the anticipation he was building in the audience. "If I can direct your attention for a moment while the cannon is set for fire, to the other side of the tent. That is Kurt swinging from that bar over there. As I've already said, Kurt is McKinley's current star aerialist. He has never had an accident and never had a trick go wrong. And he never misses. In a moment, our volunteer, Blaine, will be shot out of that cannon. If all goes well, he will be projected across the tent to the other side, where Kurt will hopefully catch him."

Blaine heard the collective gasp of the audience but the only thing he was registering now was the fact that Kurt was going to attempt to catch him. What had the clown said? His brother was going to catch him? So Kurt was the clown's brother?

There wasn't much time to dwell on that thought because a sound that was not unlike the crackling of a lit fuse suddenly met his ears.

"Here we go ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" he heard Ringmaster Schue say. Blaine held his breath. He could feel his heart literally beating out of his chest. There was no backing out now. "Count back with me from ten!"

The crowd's voices picked up and Blaine could swear he could hear Nick and Jeff above everyone else. "Ten…nine…eight…seven…six…" Blaine squeezed his eyes shut tight. "Five…four…three…two…" This was it. God please save him. "One!"

That last number rang out and the precise moment Blaine heard a blast and then he felt himself moving up the barrel of the cannon at what felt like light speed! A puff of smoke surrounded him as he caught a glimpse of the crowd and the tent as his body was shot out into the air.

Milliseconds of blurred vision passed by the helmet and the next thing Blaine knew, soft hands had closed themselves firmly around his wrists and he found himself dangling.

Wait…dangling? Blaine craned his head up only to see that Kurt was smiling down at him. "I got you. It's okay," the boy whispered and Blaine felt something flutter in his chest at the sound of his voice. It was like pure music. But most of all, Kurt was even more incredibly beautiful up close. Blaine could now see just how flawless his complexion was. He could see the swirls of green and gray mixed in with the blue of his eyes. He could feel his strong muscles tensing in his arms as he held Blaine firmly by the wrists.

Blaine was so mesmerized by the boy who had caught him that it took him what seemed like a whole minute to realize that crowd had erupted in cheers and applause. He could swear he heard Nick and Jeff cat-calling.

"Damn wonder twins," Blaine muttered. Kurt frowned down at him for a moment.

"Sorry?" he asked. It was only than that Blaine realized he'd spoken around.

"N-nothing," he stammered. "Just my immature friends." Kurt smiled at him.

"Hang tight okay?" Kurt said, giving his head a nod. It was then that Blaine realized a nice big airbag was being set up just beneath them. "You're not used to this so a net probably wouldn't feel too good to land in," Kurt said. Blaine was slightly confused. "So they're setting up an airbag instead. It should be more comfortable." It took Blaine all of the next thirty seconds to realize what he was saying.

"Y-you're going to drop m-me?" he stuttered in surprise. Kurt graced him with a gentle smile.

"How else do you think you'll get down?" he asked. Blaine realized he was right. There were no other means for him to get down from hanging by the wrists high in the air. "I'm Kurt," the boy said than, still smiling at him.

Blaine couldn't help but smile back. "Blaine," he said.

"It's nice to meet you Blaine. Thank you for being so brave." Blaine flushed deeply an action he didn't miss was replicated by Kurt. God his cheeks looked so damn perfect broken in pink color. "Here we go. I'll see you backstage."

Blaine had just enough time to wonder what he meant when he suddenly felt Kurt's hands release him and than he was falling. Falling down, down, down…until he plummeted into the softness of the airbag that had been waiting for him.

"Audience, big round of applause for our brave volunteer!" the ringmaster called. More cheers rang out as Blaine found the Mohawk guy helping him out of the airbag. His eyes rose up in time to see Kurt pull himself up on the bar. He caught another one that was swung out toward him and Blaine watched as he gracefully swung to the platform where that dark haired girl was now standing. Both of them than began making their way down a ladder.

Blaine felt himself being pulled along and he couldn't help but grin at his friends as he passed. Of course they would lead him back to the back area. His clothes were still there.

"And that's a wrap for the McKinley Big Top Circus! Thank you all for coming out and have a pleasant night!" the ringmaster called.

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><p>Blaine was just pulling off the helmet and gathering his clothes to change when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see Kurt standing there, smiling at him. Blaine couldn't help but smile back.<p>

"Congratulations," Kurt said.

"For what?" Blaine asked a little bit puzzled. Kurt smiled wider.

"For being so brave. You're the first volunteer who actually went through with it!" Blaine found himself staring at him in shock for a moment.

"I…what?"

Kurt sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Every show, my brother picks someone out who he thinks might have guts. And every show, they all claim they do until the find out what it is they're doing. No one is crazy enough to get into a cannon without circus training or experience. Most of them care more for their physical well being than their reputations with their friends." Blaine bit his lip.

"Actually, I was thinking that the wonder twins wouldn't shut up about it and annoy the hell out of me, not that my friend would tease me. They're always saying I'm too polite to try anything with a real risk, after I ran away from my problems. So, I thought I'd prove them wrong." Kurt frowned.

"Ran away from your problems?"

Blaine sighed. "I go to Dalton Academy. It's a zero tolerance no-bullying policy boys' private school. We're all treated equally there. I transferred after being beat up pretty bad because of my sexuality," he said, voice not even wavering. "But I'm still proud to be me."

Kurt furrowed his brow for a moment. "I'm gay too," he said softly. Blaine could hardly believe his luck. "And even though our circus is a family, I still get bullied just like you did," he went on.

"I'm sorry Kurt." The other boy graced him with a soft smile. "Hey," Blaine suddenly asked. "If I'm the first volunteer to go through with it, how have you been performing the stunt?"

Kurt turned his head and nodded to the longhaired blonde Blaine recognized from the aerial act.

"Brittany usually plays my cannon ball. She's a daft in the head but very brave," he said, smiling fondly at the girl. It was than that Blaine realized he was being surrounded by a bunch of the performers.

"So, human cannonball," the dark haired girl from the aerial act said. "We have a proposition for you in honor of you being the first seriously brave volunteer."

For a moment, Blaine just looked at her. Why would they have a proposition? His eyes went back to Kurt who smiled at him and reached out to grab a hold of his hand. Blaine felt sparks travel up his arm at the feel of Kurt's soft hand in his.

"Proposition?" he asked. The kids around him looked at each other and it was the tall clown – Finn, Blaine reminded himself – that answered.

"We…want to invite you to join McKinley Big Top."

Well, that certainly hadn't been expected and it sent Blaine's mind reeling. He liked Dalton. He liked his friends. But if he said no and turned around and walked out of there to go back to his life, he might never see Kurt again. And even though he had only just met the beautiful boy that night, he was already feeling that he couldn't bare the thought of not having him in his life. This should have been a tough decision, but within a few moments and the locking of his eyes with Kurt's, Blaine had made up his mind.

"I'd love to."

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><p><strong>AN: So there it is guys! This is where you come in! Let me know in your lovely reviews. Should I leave it as a one-shot? Or would you like it to branch into a chapter story with Blaine joining the McKinley Big Top Circus and him and Kurt falling in love as they travel the world performing for audiences everywhere? I promise there will be much adventure and I can change the category to Romance/Adventure than. :) Reviews make me smile! Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First, thank you so very much for all your reviews and reads, and alerts! They make me smile and keep me writing. You guys are great! Secondly, by popular demand, I will be continuing this lovely story so this is chapter two! Be ready for some bitchy Kurt, slight protective Finn, idiotic/selfish Wes (I love him but it fit), some background, and Blaine deciding what his role in the circus will be. There's a lot of talking in this chapter and not as much action so it's more mellow. But next chapter will have tons of action as it will have a training Blaine in it. :) Looking forward to that! And of course Blaine will start getting to know everyone by name. To anyone that's never read my work before, if Rachel's bitchiness seems sky high to you, I tend to overdo it because I really don't like her all that much. So, I apologize if I offend anyone with that. xD Enough of my blabbering and rambling, on with chapter two! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I got no Glee to hold me down, to make me laugh, to make me frown. I wish I had Glee, but now you see, there is no Glee for me. Yeah, I don't own it and neither does Pinocchio I'm afraid.**

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><p>Blaine found himself being led into the cluster of trailers behind the tent. He was still clutching his clothes, having not had a chance to change yet. But Kurt had immediately decided that Blaine would bunk with him.<p>

The trailers were double-bunked, having space for two performers each but Kurt was the only occupant in his currently, so he had the space to offer Blaine. Blaine tried not to show how happy this was making him. The opportunity to spend more time with Kurt, to live in close quarters with this beautiful boy, it was unreal and unlike anything the curly-haired teenager could ever imagine.

They approached Kurt's trailer and Kurt unlocked the door, standing aside for Blaine to go in first. "You go ahead and change. I'll go talk to your friends." Blaine looked over at him, surprised.

"Talk to my friends?" Kurt smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why?"

"So I can explain what's going on. Would any of them be able to pack your stuff for you?"

Blaine froze. A sudden realization had just struck him, something he hadn't thought about because just knowing that he could be around Kurt had spurred his decision to join the McKinley Big Top. Of course he would need to leave Dalton. This was a traveling circus. He couldn't very well stay there and perform with McKinley at the same time. He drew a shaky breath. Kurt frowned.

Clasping his pale hands in front of him, the boy seemed to slump in stature, excitement leaving his persona. "You're having second thoughts now, aren't you?"

"I'm sorry Kurt I…" Blaine started before he could stop himself. Kurt cut him off.

"It's fine," he said, expression hardening. "Go change. I'll tell your friends you'll be there in a minute and than you can go back to your fancy school." Blaine cringed at the tone in the other boy's voice.

"Kurt wait!" he called out but Kurt had already turned and started walking off.

He could see Finn, who was working on removing his clown make-up throw the boy a confused look and than he looked directly at Blaine and the shorter boy swallowed. Finn was getting up, a stern expression on his face. This was not good.

"What did you say to him?" Finn said flatly, his eyes narrowed. Blaine swallowed.

"He…he thinks I'm having second thoughts," he said quietly. Finn's face relaxed slightly.

"Are you?" he demanded, trying to keep up his guard where his brother was concerned.

Blaine took a breath. "No…I just kind of hesitated. He reminded me of something I didn't think of, that I'd have to leave Dalton. I guess he assumed that I'm not willing to do that." By the time he finished, his voice was very quiet.

"Where's he going?"

"What?"

"Kurt, where is he going?"

"To tell my friends I'll be out in a minute."

Finn looked at him for a moment. "Are you going back to your school?" Blaine stayed quiet. "Blaine, are you going back to your school? I need an answer now!" Blaine still didn't say anything. Finn let out a frustrated sigh. "Blaine, unless you want Kurt snapping his tongue at your friends, I suggest you answer me so I can get to him before he gets to them."

What? It hadn't even crossed Blaine's mind that Kurt would take out his anger on his friends. Of course, it was looking like Blaine was denying him for friends he was comfortable with, pushing away an opportunity to make new friends and in that moment, Blaine wondered if Kurt was feeling the same spark for him that Blaine had felt for Kurt. No, it couldn't be right? Kurt was way out of his league. No boy as beautiful as Kurt would want anything to do with Blaine.

"Blaine!" Finn shouted, snapping the boy out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," he said, eyes wide. He thought for only another second. "No," he said finally, making up his mind right there. "No, I'm not going back to my school. I'll…I'll stay." Finn looked satisfied, turned and run off. Blaine had to admit, it did look kind of funny to see a tall teen half in and out of clown costume and make-up running around the tent.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. Blaine pulled it out to look at it.

_Where are you Blaine? We're ready to go. – Wes_

Blaine sighed and started to type out a reply when he got another message.

_And why is that aerialist boy marching toward is us like he has a death threat? – Wes_

Blaine cringed. He hoped to hell that Finn got to Kurt before Kurt got to Wes and them. He hastily typed out a reply, knowing what he had to do.

_Sorry Wes. Go on ahead. Pack my stuff and bring it back here would you? I'm not going back to Dalton. They asked me to join the circus…I said yes. – B_

The reply came almost immediately and Blaine could practically see the horror and shock in the Asian boy's face as he rage.

_Are you nuts? You can't join the circus! You're just smitten with that damn aerialist! You're not thinking rationally! Get your ass out here now! – Wes_

Blaine stared at the reply. Maybe he wasn't thinking rationally. He didn't care. He'd made up his mind. He wanted to stay with Kurt. He decided that he was not going to reply to Wes' text. Kurt and hopefully Finn would handle it. His phone buzzed again just as he decided to ignore it and slip it back in his pocket. It was David this time.

_Sorry about Wes Blaine. I'll pack your stuff for you if you want. Just keep in touch and get your man! – D_

Well, that caused a smile to cross his face. Blaine hadn't expected David, who was Wes' best friend to be so supportive but he was grateful for it. He knew that likely, Wes was thinking more about the sake of the Warblers rather than Blaine's feelings. He was their soloist after all and they would have to find a new one if Blaine left. But as much as Blaine loved his friends, singing, and being a part of the Warblers, he was willing to give all of that up. For what? A life on the road in a traveling circus and the chance of capturing Kurt's heart, that's what.

Whoa! The chance of capturing Kurt's heart? Where the hell had that come from? Blaine blinked before shaking his head off and typing out a quick reply to David.

_Thanks David. =) I promise I will. Take care. – B_

He slipped his phone back into his pocket and shut the door to the trailer, intending to finally get dressed.

* * *

><p>Kurt's mind was reeling and he was trying to keep his eyes from pushing out the tears that threatened to spill down his cheeks. Of course Blaine wouldn't want to stay with him. He didn't even know him! Why would he choose some circus freak he didn't know over his good friends? Still, Kurt couldn't help the pain it caused.<p>

The moment he had locked eyes with Blaine when he landed on the ground after tumbling down his sky ribbon – as Kurt liked to call it – he had felt something burn like electricity. The boy was positively gorgeous. It had been all he could do to keep his cool when he'd caught him after being shot from the cannon.

Blaine was very brave.

But Blaine was not to be in his life any longer and Kurt couldn't help how badly that hurt.

He marched around the tent, head held high and eyes seeking out the group of boys that Finn had found Blaine sitting with. Yes, he had been watching from beyond the curtain.

He spotted the blazer-clad boys and started to make his way toward them when he felt a hand drop on his shoulder. He turned his head to see his brother standing there, halfway through his make-up removal.

"Dude, don't take it out on them," Finn said. Kurt narrowed his eyes and glared at him.

"Why not? Blaine obviously spoke too quickly," Kurt spat. Finn grimaced. "And don't call me dude Finn," he added.

"Sorry. Kurt, I talked to Blaine."

Kurt looked at him.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I talked to Blaine," Finn repeated.

Kurt just stood there and stared at him, arms folded over his chest. His eyes were still hard and Finn could still see the anger that was flaring within them, the hurt his brother was obviously feeling. Why the hell did Finn always interfere in everything? But he pushed that thought away.

"And?" he prompted, not exactly sure what to expect.

It was than though that he heard a cry of rage from the boys in the blazers behind them. Finn, who had been about to respond, closed his mouth as both of them looked over toward them.

An Asian boy was screaming, letting off some rage in a foreign language. He was throwing his arms in the air, an angry look on his face. The blonde and brunette boys who Kurt remembered being overly excited when he'd seen them briefly were staring at the Asian boy with wide eyes. The heavyset boy looked scared and the other brunette looked confused. A black boy was grabbing the Asian boy's arm and seemingly trying to calm him down. Finn and Kurt crept closer and hid behind a fold in the tent, wondering what the Asian boy was sassing about.

"Wes, calm down," the black boy said. The Asian boy glared at him.

"Calm down? David, use your damn head! If I had my gavel I'd hit you with it!" He paused, seeming to think better of it. "No wait, I'd hit Blaine with it! Who does he think he is? Abandoning Dalton and the Warblers for stupid people somersaulting in tights and leotards!"

That was enough to anger both Kurt and Finn. Stupid people somersaulting in tights and leotards? Clearly, this boy did not have any respect for circus folk. Finn clutched the tent, intending not to do anything but Kurt, he wasn't just going to stand by and take it.

The pale boy marched right up to them, catching them all of guard. In a flash, he'd stuck out his hand and struck Wes hard across the face.

"If you _ever_ insult my friends and family _and_ me again, I will not hesitate to show you how much stronger I am than you are!" he spat. Wes looked at him, clutching his cheek. "Now, you want to calmly tell me why you're insulting us?" Kurt glared. Wes didn't answer but David did.

"Blaine texted Wes and told him to pack his stuff and bring it back here. He said he's not going back to Dalton. Wes flipped a lid." Two feelings swelled up in Kurt's body right then. One was the overwhelming feeling of butterflies as he realized that Blaine wasn't going to leave, he was going to stay. The other was intense anger at the boy called Wes. He turned a dark eye on the Asian boy.

Narrowing his eyes, Kurt's voice dripped into a tone of dark venom. "And who the hell are you to tell Blaine how to live his life? I was under the impression that you don't own him. Blaine's not a robot you can control." At this, he stuck out a pale finger and jabbed it harshly in Wes' chest. "He's his own person and he is old enough to make his own decisions. If he wants to stay with us, that's his decision, not yours! And if I were you, I'd fell lucky to call myself his friend because I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who tries to control my life and tell me what to do."

That said, Kurt turned on his heel and the boys watched him go, catching sight of the tall guy who was glaring at Wes. David took the chance to call out to them.

"I told Blaine I'd get his stuff for him." Kurt glanced over his shoulder and nodded gratefully.

* * *

><p>Blaine was sat on a small couch in Kurt's trailer. His head was in his hands. He was dressed in his Dalton uniform again. He felt awful. He'd hurt Kurt and he hadn't meant to. But maybe making the decision to stay would change all that.<p>

He heard a key turning in the lock and the door opened. Kurt was standing there. One look at him and Blaine could tell something had happened.

Kurt glanced at him but didn't say anything. He shut the door and crossed to a small kitchen area, setting to work making tea. Blaine just watched him for several moments before Kurt finally spoke.

"You might want to think about whom you choose to be friends with Blaine," he said, voice soft and quiet.

"What do you mean?"

Kurt turned around and leaned against the small stove, folding his arms. "Your friend, the Asian boy. He was screaming with rage, insulting us, and calling us stupid people who somersault in tights and leotards, saying something about hitting you with a gavel. He made it sound like you weren't allowed to make your own decisions Blaine."

Blaine sat there looking stunned. He knew that Wes was serious about business and that the boy was practically married to that gavel. But he had never expected him to react like that. What Kurt was telling him made it sound like Wes thought Blaine leaving would mean the end of the world or something.

But in that moment, he made a quick decision.

Standing from the small couch, Blaine approached Kurt and raised both his hands to gently cup his face.

"You are not stupid. Wes is. You and your friends and co-performers, you're all amazing. You're very talented Kurt. Don't let anyone else tell you differently. Wes is just a too serious boring guy who apparently has a thing against having fun and circuses. We practically had to beg him just to come."

Kurt looked at him for a moment. He could feel his heart beating hard in his chest. He raised his hands and placed them over Blaine's.

"You're amazing Blaine," Kurt whispered. Blaine felt his heart stop.

"Why is that?" he asked.

A small smile tugged at the corners of Kurt's lips. "Because you don't even know me and already, you're standing by me over friends you've known a long time."

Blaine couldn't help but smile back. "Wes doesn't know you either. He had no right to just up and insult you like that, or try and run my life either. Friend or not." He sighed. "I should probably go wait for David."

Dropping his hands from Kurt's face, he turned to leave but Kurt caught him by the wrist.

"Don't. Finn said he'd wait for him after he finished changing out of his clown make-up and stuff." Blaine felt a sudden swell of gratitude for the tall boy.

It was then that Blaine noticed Kurt was still in his own costume. "What about you?" Kurt looked at him confused and Blaine gestured to the costume he was still wearing. The pale boy stared down at himself.

"Oh. I'll be showering after tea." Blaine nodded and dropped back onto the couch. Kurt went and sat next to him. "So, I wanted to talk to you a bit about your role."

"My role?"

Kurt smiled at him and Blaine felt his heart swell. He was starting to see that maybe things were better and Kurt wasn't so hurt anymore. He felt the other boy gently take his hand and squeeze it. Blaine felt sparks go up his arm again. God, why did he feel like this boy had suddenly become his whole world? He hardly knew him! And now they were pretty much going to be living together.

"Yes Blaine. Now that you've joined McKinley Big Top, you need an act." Blaine frowned. Kurt was right. But he didn't have any circus skills.

"How the hell am I going to do that? I don't have circus training." To his surprise, Kurt smiled.

"How brave are you?"

"What?"

"How brave are you Blaine?"

"Brave enough to have myself shot out of a cannon with no prior experience. Unless that counts as stupid." Kurt laughed and Blaine found it was a sound that he loved and he just wanted to hear him laugh more. He already thought the boy's voice was like music and when he laughed, Blaine likened it to the sound of angels singing. Kurt was so incredibly perfect in every way.

"Are you spontaneous?" Kurt asked, when his laughter had been resolved.

Blaine frowned slightly. "If joining a circus at the drop of a hat with no training isn't spontaneous than tell me what is," he said. Kurt laughed again. It was than that the whistle of the teakettle met the air and Blaine felt the loss as Kurt pulled his hand from his and stood up to go back to the stove.

Kurt turned with the kettle in one hand and mug in the other, filling it with hot water for the tea. He held it out to Blaine, along with a small teabag and Blaine smiled in thanks and took it from him before Kurt retrieved another mug, filled it, and joined him again on the couch.

"True," he said. "Look Blaine, my point is that after Adam left the circus last year due to his circus graduation and Karofsky," Blaine couldn't help but notice the cringe that crossed Kurt's face at the name. "Completely failed at trying to fill that spot and getting seriously injured to the point where he's been reverted to clown," and this had him snickering, "We're in need of a new dare devil act."

Blaine stared at him, the mug partway up to his mouth. He didn't know what to think about all this. A dare devil act? Wasn't that someone who put his or her life at risk on a regular basis? Kurt managed a small weak smile and hastily went on.

"It's okay if you don't want to do that and by all means, we don't expect you to say yes because of the fact that you don't have prior training and that's not something that can easily be learned. But I promised I'd bring it up and if you declined, we'd find another place for you." Kurt smiled at him reassuringly and Blaine felt his heart swell. How could he say no to this beautiful boy? "The point is we think you have potential for that kind of act. And we're trying to do everything in our power not to add you to our growing rank of clowns."

Blaine inclined his head to one side. How many clowns did they have exactly?

"Growing rank of clowns?" he asked. Kurt nodded.

"Usually, when someone doesn't have a dominating talent in another field of performance, we make them a clown because anyone can adapt to that easily." Blaine looked thoughtful for a moment.

"So, why is your brother Finn a clown?" Kurt smiled warmly. He had the sense that Blaine probably felt that his brother had to have some outstanding talent.

"Funny story that," Kurt said.

"Do tell," Blaine prompted, smiling.

Kurt sipped his tea and set it down on the table beside the couch.

"Well, Finn was originally one of the motorists in the caged motorcycle act. He's really talented at that. But because of his height, he kind of had a bit of a mishap in one rehearsal and banged his head pretty hard. At first, we just labeled it as one of those usual once in a while mishaps but as he grew taller, it became more persistent and he was getting injured more because the cage wasn't big enough to provide proper space for his skill. So, Finn backed out of the act of his own accord, refusing to make the staff pay for a larger cage model. He was unselfish, stepped down and joined the clown radar." Kurt shrugged, smiling fondly at the memory.

Blaine sat still for a moment. "So, Finn willingly gave up his spotlight talent just so he wouldn't be a financial burden?" Kurt nodded. "Wow, that's amazing."

"I know," the boy said quietly. "A lot of us are really grateful for this opportunity and we don't want to be a bigger burden than it already is. We'll do anything to keep this running happily."

Kurt seemed to get a far away look on his face for a moment and Blaine frowned.

"What's wrong?"

A sigh broke from the other boy's lips and he sipped his tea before running a hand over his face. "Rachel," he muttered, sighing again. Blaine frowned a second time.

"The bareback rider?" Kurt nodded. "What about her?"

"Every time an opening for another act goes up, she submits herself first. She has this thing where she thinks she's the only one with any talent and apparently, the circus shouldn't be wasting her impeccable talent by isolating her to one act."

For a moment, Blaine just looked at him with an expression that seemed to apologize without really knowing how to apologize for something like that. Personally, he didn't like people who felt they had to be the center of everyone's attention. Kurt grew somewhat quiet and stared at the floor. Blaine placed a hand on top of his and the pale boy turned to look up at him.

"She doesn't like that you're a star in your act, does she?" Blaine asked quietly. Kurt sniffed, attempting to hold back tears before he nodded.

"When she found out that not only did people place me as the star of the Flying Cheerios, but also the highlight of the entire circus right now, she was outraged. We're friends but its kind of strained. And she went through a faze in which she actually attempted to join the aerialists." Blaine thought for a moment.

"What happened with that?"

"She has butter fingers. She always lost her grip on the trapeze. She didn't like that we had to pull her out of the act."

Silence followed the comment. Blaine kept his hand on Kurt's. It sounded to him like this Rachel couldn't accept that she wouldn't be good at everything. That could be concerning.

After a few minutes of silence, a strangely comfortable one, despite the situation, Kurt finished off his tea, probably intending to take a shower but Blaine remembered that they hadn't settled the matter of whether or not he would try for the dare devil act. He felt like he kind of owed Kurt something, though he wasn't sure why. As the pale boy stood, Blaine caught his hand.

"Hey wait!" Kurt looked at him curiously and Blaine couldn't get over how both beautiful and adorable he looked with that curiosity on his face. Blaine felt the sudden urge to just stand up and kiss him. But he refrained. He hadn't even known this boy for a day yet and he didn't want to scare him by moving to fast. "I'll do it," he said with a smile.

"Hmm?" Kurt asked, slightly confused. Blaine's smile grew and he squeezed the other boy's hand.

"The dare devil act. I give it ago." The grin that spread on the other boy's face was well worth it and Blaine couldn't help but beam. He'd made Kurt smile like that. _He_ had done it. He felt an odd sense of pride at that. Maybe, just maybe, if he could make Kurt smile like that, there was hope for them.

He shook those thoughts out of his head as Kurt started to talk again and Blaine locked his eyes on his.

"That's wonderful Blaine. We're leaving tonight as we've been here for a week, which is a bit longer than we usually stay." Blaine suddenly realized why Nick and Jeff were so eager to go to the circus that night. "We have the next few weeks off so we're just driving two hours to Lima, which is where the McKinley Big Top Circus home base is. We do all our training and practicing and new routines and choreography there. So it's perfect. We can spend those weeks training you and than we're off to Toronto, Canada from there."

Blaine's eyes were wide as saucers. The schedule was already packed and he was just joining the bandwagon. But he'd be lying if he said that he wasn't excited about it all. He nodded in understanding, smiling at the other boy. Kurt smiled back, squeezed his hand and excused himself to go get cleaned up.

As Blaine waited for him to return, he couldn't help but to look forward to the adventure that lay ahead of him.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Told you it was a bit more on the mellow side! What did you all think? Reviews are love and smiles and keep me writing. Might start writing chapter three now. I'm excited to write Blaine's training! I wouldn't necessarily call this a cliff hanger. You can probably figure out who was at the door. It's not an important aspect so it will just be briefly covered at the start of the next chapter. Oh, and I will be changing the second category to Adventure because it will be an adventure. Life in the circus on the road! And I have some great ideas for dare devil stunts! Things I remember from seeing Bello, the dare devil head clown of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. If you've never been to see "The Greatest Show on Earth" go see it! Tell me if you have! Also, what would you like to see some of the others doing? Artie, Mike, Tina, Mercedes, Rory, and Sugar are all currently without acts. So give me your suggestions! If I use them, I'll leave a shout out! This is getting long so review and see you next time!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here is chapter three guys! Like I said, Blaine training in this chapter! Also, some Karofsky (glares), back massages and possibly a little surprise fluff moment between our boys! Hurt Kurt, sad Blaine because I can't put it any other way, and multi-talented Kurt too and then the epic word we all love. ;) Their word! I wrote this last night but decided to hold off and post it until after I got some reviews for chapter two. Anyway, keep your ideas coming and thanks for the reviews and support and I'm really like the idea of Mike being a contortionist. That would work nicely guys! So thanks to those of you who came up with that. Artie could definitely be a magician I think. And one more question, do you think some should have double acts? We need acrobats and Tight rope walkers. ;) Enjoy chapter three!**

**Disclaimer: Oh I wish I were a Glee franchise owner, that is what I'd really like to be, because if I were a Glee franchise owner, I would own a piece of Glee. I don't own any of it though, so, guess I'm not. :(**

* * *

><p>It had been Finn at the door. He was just dropping off Blaine's stuff. David had made Wes give him their room key and that was when Blaine realized he still had his copy. He'd given the key to Finn who'd volunteered to run out and catch David so the boy could return the key to the school. Blaine wouldn't need it anymore.<p>

Kurt had looked even more beautiful the moment he had stepped out of the bathroom in the double trailer. Blaine had been busy settling himself in the free bedroom and putting his things away by that time. But Kurt had been lax in silk pajamas with his hair still wet but oddly neatly styled all the same.

"Is it all right for you?" he asked Blaine, stepping into the extra room. Blaine had stopped and stared at him for several moments, knowing that hesitation would not be a pretty picture. Kurt smiled. "I'll take that as a yes." He blew Blaine a kiss goodnight and gracefully strolled from the room.

Blaine was surprised he had managed to sleep that night, though the odd sensation of moving while sleeping was oddly comforting.

Now he stood on the home base of the McKinley Big Top Circus, gazing around with wide eyes. The animals were being well taken care of, either by staff or student trainers. For instance, no one went near the lions and tigers except for the Mohawk boy, whom Blaine learned went by the name Puck. It wasn't the boy's real name but part of his last and that's what everyone called him, except Rachel. Blaine was quick to notice that she only ever called him Noah. Puck seemed unfazed by it. Actually, the only other person Blaine had seen get away with calling the boy by his real name was Kurt. But apparently, the boy was impossible to get mad at and many of the performers were quite protective of him.

"Okay Blaine," Kurt said and Blaine snapped out of his reverie. Kurt was holding a helmet. "You ever been on a motorcycle?" he asked. Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"Wait, I thought I was going to be the dare devil." Kurt laughed.

"You are. But motorcycles can be used in more than one act," he said.

Blaine was intrigued. Kurt slid his hand into his and pulled him along into the tent. Blaine found that there was a motorcycle waiting for him. Kurt held out the helmet.

The curly-haired boy took the helmet and pulled it on, swinging one leg over the motorcycle. Truth be told, he did know how to ride one. His older brother Cooper had taught him.

It wasn't until he was situating himself on the bike that Blaine noticed the thick wire protruding from under the front wheel. He followed it with his eyes as it traveled up and up and up to a small tiny platform, high in the air. "Uh…Kurt?" he asked, turning his head to look at the boy. He blushed when he noticed Kurt was sitting on the ground stretching out his limbs. Apparently, he was going to practice while trying to help Blaine train. Wait, why was he helping Blaine train? Forgetting about the wire, he went for a different question.

"Yes?" Kurt asked sweetly. Blaine swallowed.

"Why are you training me?" Kurt looked at him for a moment.

Slowly, the boy stood up and gestured for Blaine to step off the bike. The shorter boy did, though very confused. Kurt took his place, expertly revving the handles. He seemed almost oblivious to the wire.

"You know there's a wire there right?" Blaine asked. Kurt just grinned at him.

"There's something I forgot to mention to you about me," the boy said. Blaine inclined his head to one side, wondering what Kurt was getting at. "I was considered once for the dare devil act. I could have it if I wanted." Blaine looked puzzled.

"So, why don't you?" he asked. Kurt smiled and laughed lightly, revving the handles on the bike again. Blaine waited.

"Because I much prefer the aerial act. It's more beautiful and graceful."

That was all he said. In the next instant, Kurt revved the bike one more time and pressed on the gas. Blaine watched as he flawlessly rode the motorcycle halfway up the wire. Wait! Up the wire? How the hell could someone ride a motorcycle on a wire? Blaine had seen people at the circus ride a regular bicycle on one before but a motorcycle? He wasn't sure if he could handle that.

Kurt was balancing the bike halfway up the wire, revving the handles. It was than that Blaine realized the boy wasn't wearing a helmet and his heart clenched in fear. Kurt turned his head to smile back at Blaine.

"We've got a safety net for you to practice with. Start small. All I want you to learn right now is how to balance the bike and ride up the wire," he called back to him. "That's why you have a helmet because you're new and we don't want you hurt." Blaine listened intently, thinking about how badly he didn't want Kurt to get hurt.

The pale boy revved the bike again and Blaine watched him ride it up even higher before stopping. "If you're a fast learner, you should progress in no time and then, you'll be able to do this!" Kurt's voice rose higher as he climbed farther away from Blaine. What the hell was the boy talking about now? But what Kurt did next made Blaine wonder if it was possible to die of fright.

Kurt revved the bike and the next thing Blaine knew, he flung himself to the side. The entire bike, with Kurt on it rolled around the wire, suspending Kurt momentarily upside down before it righted itself back on top. Blaine wondered how the hell it hadn't fallen from the wire when Kurt had done that. It didn't seem possible. But God, he feared for Kurt's safety.

To his relief, after the short stunt, Kurt backed the motorcycle back down the wire and dismounted when he got to the floor, grinning.

"There is no way that's possible without falling off!" Blaine managed to sputter. His new friend laughed and reached up a pale hand to mess in Blaine's curls. The shorter boy hardly noticed.

"Sure there is. First, you need faith that you can do it. You need confidence, skill, patience, and most of all, courage."

_Courage_.

Just that one word suddenly had Blaine believing that he could do anything. He was ready to try.

Straightening up, Blaine gave a sharp nod of his head and mounted the bike. Kurt smiled at him. "Remember, I just want you to try balancing on the wire. Don't push yourself to high. The more you get used to it, the higher up you go," Kurt said.

Blaine knew he was right. He had to start small, not just jump into it. But he didn't doubt any of it now. He had a new determination and new hope that he could do this. God forbid he ends up becoming nothing but a clown. Leaving Dalton to end up, as a clown somehow didn't seem to be worth it, even if knowing Kurt was.

"Are you ready?" Kurt asked Blaine. The shorter boy nodded, revving the bike handles. "Inch yourself forward, no more than a foot or two," Kurt said. Blaine drew in a breath and pressed gently down on the gas pedal. The bike crept up the wire, a bit shaky because Blaine wasn't used to the narrow control. He gripped the handles harder and sucked a breath in. "That's it. Ease yourself up," Kurt said, encouraging Blaine. He did as he said, easing up the wire slowly and working on keeping the bike steady.

"Hey Lady Fairy!" came a shout suddenly and Blaine's concentration broke. The bike wobbled and the next think the boy knew, he found himself tumbling to the ground. Luckily, he hadn't been that high off it.

When Blaine looked up to see what the cause had been, he found a rather big guy marching toward them with a smirk on his face. Kurt was standing very straight, nose in the air and arms folded. Blaine was quite sure he was about to encounter his first confrontation with someone who was quite obviously not Kurt's friend.

"What do you want Karofsky?" Kurt snarled. Blaine recognized the name immediately. He stayed still.

"Who's the hobbit and what is he doing on _my_ motorcycle?" the big guy spat.

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me Hummel!" Karofsky fisted his hand in Kurt's shirt and lifted the delicate boy off the ground. Kurt didn't seem fazed. But Blaine watched in horror as Karofsky threw Kurt harshly against the wooden planks that formed the ring. "Now, answer me Lady Fairy!" The bigger boy advanced on Kurt, fist pounding into his hand.

Kurt scoffed. "It's not your bike. You're a clown David," Kurt said, voice dripping in venom. Blaine could tell right away that this did not sit well with Karofsky. The boy lifted Kurt again.

"There is only going to be one dare devil in this circus and that's going to be me!" He threw Kurt once more and turned to Blaine. "You hear that lady boy? Don't even think about touching my bike again!"

The boy turned and stalked off. Blaine watched him go for a moment before slowly getting to his feet and approaching Kurt. The pale boy was now sitting on the ground, rubbing his backside, looking mildly pissed off. Blaine wondered if he was used to this.

Blaine held out a hand to Kurt who hesitated for a moment before taking it and allowing the shorter boy to pull him up.

"Are you all right?" Blaine asked gently. Kurt nodded, brushing off the back of his pants and shirt. "Are you sure?"

Kurt smiled at him. "I'm fine Blaine. Just a little bruised. But thank you for caring."

Blaine couldn't help but smile at that. But he didn't like that Kurt was bruised. Didn't that Karofsky guy know that Kurt was an aerialist? How the hell was he supposed to perform with bruises all over his body? Blaine got a sudden idea.

"Hey, why don't we go back to the trailer?" he asked. Kurt raised an eyebrow. "I'll give you a back massage." Blaine surprised himself at how shyly he said the second part.

For a moment Kurt just looked at him. Blaine could see the identical blush on his face that he knew had crept up his own. He felt scared for a moment that the other boy would say no. He'd barely known him a day. Was offering a famous Blaine Anderson back massage a little too soon, even for on the friendship level?

But than Kurt's face broke out into a smile.

"Lead the way," he said quietly. Blaine smiled back and offered his hand. Kurt took it shyly and the two boys left the main tent, headed for their trailer.

* * *

><p>The moment they entered the trailer and shut the door, Blaine bit his lip. He was a bit embarrassed about saying the next part. Kurt was watching him. He took a breath. "Okay, go to your room, take your shirt off, and lie down on your stomach," he said, still biting his lip. Kurt flushed pink again but slowly nodded.<p>

While Kurt headed into his small room, Blaine went to his own small quarters and grabbed some oils before retreating to their little kitchen and sticking the pots in the microwave, heating them for about forty-five seconds.

When he was done, he headed into Kurt's room and had to suck in a breath when he saw that Kurt was lying on his stomach on the bed, shirt casually discarded to the floor. Blaine couldn't help but to stare at the boy. His creamy pale skin was smooth and very soft looking. It would have been perfectly if not for the marring of bruises in all different stages of healing. Blaine felt like he wanted to cry for the boy. His body seemed to take a lot of hits.

Cautiously, Blaine crossed the room and climbed onto the bed. Kurt lifted his head and looked at him for a moment. He was blushing and God he looked so damn beautiful. A gentle smile crossed his face.

"Hey beautiful," he said without thinking and blushed deeply. Kurt just smiled gently.

"Hey yourself gorgeous," he replied. Blaine sucked in a breath. Did Kurt really think he was gorgeous? He put that aside and shuddered.

Drawing a breath, Blaine picked up the oils and dug his fingers into one of the pots, rubbing the stuff over his hands. "Just relax," he told Kurt, aware that his voice was wavering a bit.

"Are you okay Blaine?" the boy asked, turning his head back to face his headboard. Blaine nodded before realizing Kurt couldn't see him.

"I'm fine," he said, concentrating on keeping his voice steady. With a breath, he straddled the pale boy, resting one knee on either side of him and flushing as he realized he was now sitting on Kurt's ass. Normally, it didn't faze him as he did it all the time when his friends asked for a back massage. But this was different. This was Kurt, the most beautiful boy Blaine had ever seen in his life.

Taking another breath, Blaine leaned forward a bit and sank his hands gently into the flesh of Kurt's shoulders. He could tell immediately how tense the boy was. The oils would do some good. Blaine didn't miss the shudder that went through Kurt's body the moment he placed his hands on him but he pretended not to notice.

Blaine continued soothing the oils into Kurt's skin, letting the heat spread over his own hands and carefully kneading the muscles to soothe the tension and perhaps ache out of Kurt's back. He was very careful when kneading over bruises and stopped when his hands found the place of a few that were just blooming, probably the new ones.

For a long moment, Blaine stared at the spot, looking sadly at the darkening bruises and then without thinking, he leaned forward all the way and placed one, two, three gentle kisses to the bruised skin. This time, he paid complete attention to Kurt's body as it shuddered.

Kurt slowly turned his head to look at him and Blaine found himself staring back into those eyes that were pools of blue, green, and gray. They were so incredibly beautiful.

"Blaine?" Kurt questioned softly. It took Blaine a moment to react.

"Yes Kurt?" he said, blushing. Kurt looked at him, eyes never pulling from Blaine's.

"Did you just kiss my back?" he asked. Blaine blushed darker and finally tore his eyes away from Kurt's to look down, only to find his gaze resting on the small of the other boy's back.

"I'm sorry. I just can't bear to see you hurt. I know it's weird because we barely know each other but…" He trailed off, biting his lip.

Kurt maneuvered so that he was half twisted and his body was tilted up in such a way that he could see Blaine better. Propping himself up on one arm, he graced Blaine with the most beautiful smile the curly-haired boy had seen on him yet and God be damned if he didn't want to kiss him right than and there.

Blaine's eyes went to Kurt's lips. They looked so soft, so pink, and so very kissable. Blaine licked his own lips. He could feel his breath hitching.

"You're sweet Blaine," Kurt said softly. Blaine tried to force his gaze back to Kurt's eyes, tried to show that he was paying attention. "Sit down," Kurt said suddenly and Blaine was taken aback, snapping out of his daze.

"What?"

"Sit down," Kurt repeated.

"I am sitting down." Kurt laughed lightly.

"I meant on the bed silly," he said.

"Oh." Blaine blushed and slid from his straddling position to sit on the bed. Kurt pulled himself up into a sitting position. His hands found Blaine's which were now incredibly soft due to the oils he'd been using on Kurt's back. Again, Kurt's eyes found Blaine's and the two boys just sat there staring at each other.

It was kind of odd. Blaine could feel the butterflies stirring heavily in his stomach. He had only met Kurt the night before but already he felt such a strong connection. What was it? Why did he feel so strongly about this boy he hardly knew? And yet, he felt like he knew him better than he knew anyone.

Kurt lifted one of Blaine's hands and kissed the palm of it tenderly. Blaine shuddered.

"You're lips are soft," he said, voice very quiet. Kurt smiled at him.

"So are your hands," he said. Blaine managed a tiny smile. God, he just really wanted to kiss Kurt right than. He wanted to kiss the hell out of those pink lips. He wanted to make them swell and bruise from battling against his own. And then he wanted to kiss all over that creamy pale skin. He just wanted to ravish this boy. All the signs pointed to sexual tension and lust but that wasn't what Blaine was feeling. He wanted more than that with Kurt.

Blaine bit his lip an action Kurt didn't miss and his own eyes went directly to where Blaine's lower lip was pulled into his mouth. Goddamn the boy with the curly hair was driving him wild. But he was scared.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked quietly. Blaine looked at him, a rather caring but desiring look on his face. "Can I…tell you something?" he went on. Blaine's expression contained concern now.

"You can tell me anything Kurt."

"You promise you won't tell anyone? Not even Finn?"

Now Blaine was slightly worried. "I promise Kurt," he said quietly.

The other boy let out a breath and let go of one of Blaine's hands just long enough to run his hand over his face before he slipped it back. "It's about Karofsky," he said. He bit his lip and turned his eyes away.

"What about him Kurt?" Blaine asked gently, voice tinged with concern.

Kurt drew a breath. "The other day he…he…" He paused and bit his lip again.

"He what?" Blaine prompted.

"He kissed me," Kurt finally said.

Blaine stared at him for a very long time. What the hell? That jerk off had kissed Kurt and thought he could get away with it? Blaine felt sudden anger fill his body and the desire to go after that damn boy grew. He'd already hurt Kurt physically and now he was hurting him emotionally too. But Blaine didn't move. He stayed where he was, intent on only being with Kurt.

"You know the worst part?" Kurt asked.

"What?"

Kurt bit his lip. "Until than, I'd never been kissed. Not one that counted anyway."

If Blaine was angry before it was nothing to how he was feeling now. That jerk off had stolen Kurt's first kiss. How dare the asshole do something like that! How dare he! Who did he think he was? Not to mention he went around calling Kurt names, probably to make himself feel better and hide his shame of being gay. Well, that boy was going to pay for this. Blaine was going to make sure of it.

"Don't count that one either." Kurt looked at him oddly.

"Huh?"

Blaine's eyes were determined but gentle when he looked back at Kurt. "Don't count that one. You didn't want it right?" Kurt nodded. "Okay than. He forced himself on you. That one doesn't count."

Silence fell between them for a moment and Kurt looked away briefly before his eyes returned to Blaine's.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?"

Blaine was momentarily startled by the question. He sighed and let out a breath, giving his head a shake. No, he hadn't. He'd come close before when he'd been seeing this older guy named Jeremiah. But Jeremiah had dumped him, saying that he'd get arrested for being with him because Blaine was underage. It was really stupid. Blaine sighed.

"I've never been anyone's boyfriend really. I mean, I dated this guy once but it was never official. And than he blew me off." Kurt frowned.

"I'm sorry Blaine. That couldn't have felt nice."

Blaine shook his head. "No, it didn't. But its okay." Kurt squeezed his hands and silence fell again. After several more intensely quiet moments, Blaine said, "Kurt, can I try something?"

Kurt looked at him. "What do you want to try?"

"Do you trust me?" Blaine asked. He bit his lip. He was afraid that Kurt would take a while to answer that. But too his surprise, Kurt replied immediately.

"More than I've ever trusted anyone other than my own family," he said.

Both boys were shocked by Kurt's admission. They hadn't even known each other for a day yet and already Kurt had built a tremendous amount of trust in Blaine. That was enough. That was the final push Blaine needed.

Drawing a breath, the curly-haired boy leaned in and softly sealed his lips to Kurt's. He heard Kurt let out a small gasp of surprise but he didn't pull back. The next thing he knew, Kurt's lips were moving against his own. Blaine allowed his eyes to flutter shut. His hands pulled free of Kurt's and lifted to cup his face like they had the night before. Kurt slid his arms around Blaine's neck, pulling him closer.

Their lips danced against each other Blaine couldn't help but to let out a soft moan. He swiped his tongue out, licking desperately at Kurt's mouth. The other boy obliged, parting his lips to suck Blaine's tongue in. It was strange new territory but Blaine allowed himself the time to lick and taste every crevice of Kurt's mouth. God he tasted so good, kind of like vanilla and strawberries. Blaine wondered what Kurt had for breakfast that morning. Not that he cared.

He heard a groan leave Kurt's throat as the boy kissed him back and battled with Blaine's tongue, fighting for dominance over the kiss. God how he loved this! He was kissing Kurt. He was actually kissing Kurt! And the best part was that Kurt was kissing him back!

The need for air suddenly became insistent and Blaine reluctantly began to pull away from the other boy, sucking Kurt's bottom lip into his mouth as he did.

A small pop pierced the air as the two boys broke a part, breathing heavy and rapid. They both just stared at each for a long moment. Blaine's hands were still cupping Kurt's face.

"Wow…" he said finally. A smile made its way on to Kurt's face.

"I think a bigger word is in order," the pale boy whispered. Blaine could only smile lightly at him. It didn't help though when Kurt yawned afterward, something that probably would have ruined the moment at any other time but Blaine found that it was really adorable.

"Sleepy?" he asked. Kurt nodded. "Come on, let's take a nap," Blaine went on. "We can go back to training later." Kurt nodded again, lying down on the bed and pulling Blaine with him.

"Blaine?" Kurt asked after a few moments.

"Hmm?" Blaine replied. He felt Kurt shift and snuggled closer. He wrapped his arms around him tightly.

"Thank you for being so wonderful," the boy whispered. Blaine was caught by surprise. He turned his head and dropped a kiss on the other boy's forehead, smiling softly.

"You're welcome Kurt."

Quiet fell and after a moment, Blaine was sure Kurt had fallen asleep. But soon enough, he heard the other boy's voice again, trying to speak through the sleepy haze that had fallen over him. It was too damn adorable.

"Blaine?"

"Yes sweetie?" Blaine asked, the term of endearment just rolling off his tongue.

"What does this mean for us?"

Blaine stopped. He didn't even know. He'd just kissed Kurt, a boy he'd only met just last night. What did it mean for them? Should they go ahead and take that next step? Blaine honestly didn't know what to do. But he did know that he didn't want to mess this up. Rushing into things was probably not the smartest thing to do. He sighed heavily.

"I don't know Kurt," he said honestly. As Kurt looked up at him from where his head was now resting on Blaine's chest, Blaine locked his gaze on his eyes. "I like you a lot. Like, really like you but I don't want to mess this up." Kurt nodded his head, seeming to understand. "I think we should just take things slow for now and not jump into anything. But I would definitely kiss you again in a heartbeat."

That last sentence brought a smile to Kurt's face. "So no regrets?" he asked softly. Blaine smiled back.

"Not a one."

"Good, me either."

And that was the last thing said between them as both boys drifted off to sleep, content just to be in each other's arms.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: YAY! They kissed, they kissed, they kissed! I'm a sucker for moving things faster because I just want it to happen haha! But they're not getting together yet so we'll just have to keep reading! Or you will. Reviews make me smile. Let me know what you thought and the motorcycle on the wire thing is something I saw that clown Bello I told you about do. Seriously, he rode up a wire on a motorcycle and than flipped around it on the motorcycle and if I remember right, I don't think he was wearing a helmet. Lot's of inspiration from Bello. Maybe like him, I'll have Blaine develop a special connection with an elephant and ride it in the show.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Shout out to my friend who helped me come up with a lot of the ideas in this chapter! And you have her to thank for chapter four coming now because she pretty much demanded it. More stuff to be updated tomorrow. I think I'll give _Stranded_ another chapter since it's one of my forte's. And then _Trapped In Willow Manor_ and once I work out some details, _Raising EM_ will be updated again. Oh man, so much work! But it will get done! Along with other fics. So hang tight!**

**Anyway, in this chapter, expect more of Kurt's many acrobatic talents, injured Kurt, threatening Karofsky, Blaine the hero, angry Finn and Puck, and helpful Sue, with a small splash of frightened Quinn and some Kurt history at the end, though that Kurt history follows canon. xD Oh yeah, a little bit of Blaine pole dancing, though that's not what it is really, just fun to say it, haha.**

**Disclaimer: I don't want to lie, I don't own Glee, cause there a thousand million people who do. From R to I to B at Fox who produces our beloved Glee. I don't want to lie 'cause readers than maybe, I could be the one to own Glee.**

* * *

><p>Blaine wasn't going to lie. He was rather proud of himself. He was actually picking up the training faster than most people would. This was good because it meant he should be ready to have a decent showcase for the show when they got to Toronto. He was pleased.<p>

Kurt seemed to be too. Both boys hadn't forgotten the kiss, nor that they had decided to take things slow. But that didn't stop them from bonding like best friends. They remained close all the same.

"How does it feel up there Blaine?" Kurt called up into the air one day. Blaine had his arms and legs wrapped around the top of a very tall pole that swayed easily one way or another.

"Great!" Blaine called back, giving thumbs up as the pole swayed several feet forward.

A grin crossed the pale boy's face. "Good! Keep working at it. I have to do something!"

Blaine was curious. He knew that he should practice the tricks that Kurt had shown him when they'd first taken to the pole a few days before but for the first time, Kurt was confident enough to leave him to it to go do some things he had to do. Lately, he'd been turning down his own rehearsals in favor of helping Blaine and showing him what he was teaching him first.

Making a quick decision, Blaine slid easily down the pole and placed his feet on the floor. He hurried after Kurt and grabbed his shoulder gently.

"Where are you running off to?" he asked with a smirk. Kurt pretended to be mad at him for not listening to him.

"I thought I told you to keep practicing Anderson," he said, his smile giving away the false anger.

Blaine folded his arms across his chest. "Yeah but you intrigue me Hummel," he replied, matching the boy's grin. Kurt sighed and ran a hand over his face and Blaine immediately grew concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Kurt gazed across the tent to the right-hand ring where Blaine found Finn and Puck standing with a narrow flexible bar between them.

"It's the Russian Bar flier," Kurt said with another sigh. Blaine glanced back at him.

"What about her?" he asked.

"She somehow managed to twist both her ankles and nearly fractured a knew." Blaine's eyes grew wide. How the hell had a professional managed to do that? Wait, why did this concern Kurt? "We're leaving for Canada in a few days. She's not going to be healed enough to perform." Blaine started to get a gist of where this was going. "I have to take her place."

Well, that certainly surprised Blaine. How many different circus talents did Kurt have? Okay, Russian Bar was acrobatics and he knew that was one of Kurt's strong suits. But Kurt's passion was air acrobatics. That was why he was one of the Flying Cheerios instead of the Titan Tumblers. The Russian Bar act was part of the Titan Tumbler act and now it seemed that Kurt was going to have to fill in for the girl who usually did the stunt. Blaine had never seen him do anything other than his aerial routines, aside from when he was presenting the stunt that Blaine had to learn.

"Russian Bar? Isn't that rather dangerous?" Kurt sighed and nodded.

"Don't worry Blaine. I never get hurt." Blaine, though he knew the statement was true, wasn't convinced. "Go work more on the sway pole. I'll see you for lunch."

The curly-haired boy didn't have time to protest. Kurt had already turned and started heading toward the Mohawk boy and his brother. Blaine stood there watching him for a moment. Finn and Puck, picked knelt beside the ends of the bar as Kurt reached it and stood straddling the narrow beam. In one swift movement, the two bigger boys lifted the bar up, resting it on their shoulders and catching Kurt in a sitting position. Blaine didn't move. He wanted to see if Kurt could really do this.

Placing both hands in front of him on the narrow bar, which was rather flexible, Blaine realized as he noticed it bending easily under Kurt's weight, Kurt carefully brought one leg up so that his knee rested on the bar. Than he slid it up further until he'd placed his leg foot flat on the bar. In one graceful movement, Kurt pushed himself up into a standing position, sticking his arms out to the side and aligning his feet, not unlike the way a gymnast on a balance beam would.

The pale boy gentle bounced on the bar, causing it to flex, sinking and straightening. Finn and Puck had a good grip on the ends. Blaine noticed Kurt draw in a breath. And then he pressed more.

Kurt started with a small jump, his feet lifting only inches in the air. He continued to jump, increasing the force and still, landing perfectly balanced on the bar every time. Soon he was jumping straight up several feet into the air and landing back on bar without a waver. This in itself was amazing to Blaine, who stood there captivated.

But Kurt wasn't finished. After he'd jumped several times, he sank back down on the bar and flew up into the air, this time, pushing his body to do three back-flips mid-jump. Blaine stared wide-eyed when he came back down and still successfully stuck the landing on the bar.

How the hell could anyone do that?

Blaine knew if he kept watching, he'd get damn scared that Kurt would hurt himself, even though the next few times he watched him jump and flip and still land perfectly, he was nowhere near being injured.

The curly-haired boy returned to the sway pole. Indulging his thoughts in his own practice, he quickly climbed back to the top and returned focus.

* * *

><p>At lunchtime, Blaine found Kurt sitting on one of the benches outside the tent, picking at a sandwich. The curly-haired boy frowned and dropped down onto the bench beside him. But his presence seemed to make Kurt feel loads better. He perked up and smiled at him.<p>

"Hey Blaine," he said sweetly. Blaine smiled back.

"Hey," he said. But he knew something was bothering Kurt. "You okay?"

Kurt's face fell and he sighed, still picking at the sandwich in his hands. "Not exactly," he admitted. Blaine frowned and placed a hand on his shoulder. He still hadn't forgotten what it had felt like to lay his hands to that bare shoulder. The massage had done wonders for Kurt's bruised back. The bruises had healed faster and Kurt had told Blaine that he was not against letting him give him a back massage again.

"What's wrong Kurt?" Blaine asked, sincerity in his voice. Kurt looked at him for a moment.

"It's the Russian Bar thing," he said finally. Blaine looked confused. "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy doing it. It's just that, well, I don't enjoy showing off that I can do a lot more than what I'm known for," he said.

Blaine suddenly got what Kurt was getting at. Kurt was happy presenting one side of his talent. He was already the center of the Flying Cheerios. He didn't want to be picked out as the star of every other act too. He'd elected just to showcase one aspect of whom he was as a performer because that was where his heart was and he was just fine sticking to the one thing. But now, Kurt would not only have to perform with the Flying Cheerios but he was going to have to do the Russian Bar act, at least until the girl who normally did it was healed.

For a moment, the two boys sat in silence. Blaine gave Kurt's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"Don't think of it as showing off, because I know you would never do that. Think of it as…familial support," he said finally. Kurt looked at him. "Whether you get along or not, the entire circus is like a family right?" Blaine went on. Kurt nodded. "Family has each other's backs. This is like that. She can't do it so you're lending your support by filling in. There's nothing wrong with that."

Kurt was quiet for a moment. "Hm," he said finally. "I never thought of it that way. When you put it like that, it makes me feel better about it," he said. Blaine smiled at him and squeezed his shoulder again. "Thanks Blaine."

"What are best friends for?" he asked. Kurt couldn't help but smile.

Blaine would be lying if he didn't admit to himself that he wanted to be more than just friends with Kurt but right now, he didn't know him well enough to embark on that path. Right now, it wasn't the time to start a relationship, even if he did find himself falling deeper and deeper everyday. The kiss they'd shared had never left his head. He was always thinking about it.

Kurt lost himself in his thoughts, knowing that Blaine was right. This boy was incredible and seemed to have advice for everything. For a moment, he wondered if he should tell him what had happened a few days ago. But he didn't want to. He really didn't want Blaine involved.

The pale boy turned his head away, biting his lip and flexing his left wrist, cringing when the pain shot up through it. God, he hoped it wasn't broken. His thoughts drifted back to the incident.

* * *

><p><em>Kurt had only been sitting in the center ring, stretching out his legs. Blaine had yet to arrive for the morning training session so he figured he would do some of his own aerials before the other boy showed up and he got to show him another new stunt. Kurt was glad that Blaine seemed to be a quick learner.<em>

_Standing up, he turned his head to the ceiling of the tent, stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled, and that white ribbon strip unraveled down to the floor. Kurt was just getting his grip in the cloth to climb up and start his practice when a familiar and unwelcome voice called out behind him._

"_Hey fag!" Kurt took a breath and shut his eyes. He didn't need to turn around to know that it was Karofsky. Instead, he tightened his hold on his ribbon and pretended he hadn't heard him, pulling himself easily up onto the strip of cloth. "Hey! I'm talking to you Hummel!"_

_The next thing he knew, Kurt felt a hand on his shoulder. He clung to the ribbon, using his strength to brace against Karofsky's grasp._

"_What do you want David?" he asked, still not looking at him._

"_Look at me when I talk to you lady boy!" Kurt turned his head and glared at him._

"_Happy Neanderthal?" he spat sharply. Karofsky tightened his grip on Kurt's shoulder._

"_What did you call me Hummel?" he asked, voice quiet and dripping with venom. Kurt was not going to let him see the fear that was boiling up within. He needed to stand up to this guy. He couldn't let him get to him._

"_Neanderthal," he repeated, voice firm and solid. That did not sit well with Karofsky. His hand tensed on Kurt's shoulder._

_For a moment, Kurt thought that the boy was just going to storm off angrily like he had several other times. He allowed his grip on the ribbon to slack, which was a big mistake._

_The next think Kurt new, Karofsky had ripped him from the ribbon and thrown him harshly to the ground. Kurt felt his left wrist make contact with the ground and pain shot up through his arm. It took all his willpower not to show that he'd been hurt. Karofsky was glaring down at him. Kurt willed his eyes to hold back tears. The pain was incredibly great._

"_Don't ever call me that again Hummel! If you do, I'll kill you and your lover boy too!"_

_After the threat, Kurt felt a shudder of fear travel up his spine. Karofsky stormed off but one thing sat in Kurt's mind. The boy had threatened Blaine. At this point, Kurt didn't care what Karofsky did to him but he wanted Blaine left out of it._

_Finally alone in the tent, Kurt let himself go, crying, but not just for the intense pain in his wrist. It was for the sake of Blaine's safety too._

* * *

><p>Kurt knew that he should tell someone about the injury but he was that stubborn. Instead, he'd somehow managed to hide it using the excuse that Blaine's training was more important than his practice to keep from having to use it. No one suspected a thing and he was very lucky that no one seemed to catch him whenever he tried flexing. It had been nearly a week and the pain hadn't let up at all. That wasn't a good sign.<p>

It was now afternoon. Blaine was with Mercedes, learning the proper way to ride an elephant as he thought it might be fun to lead in the procession standing on the back of an elephant that rose onto its hind feet.

Kurt was standing on the platform, chalking up his hands. It had been a bit since he had actually practiced his bar techniques. Just as he was fixing the tape wrapped around his wrist to take his go at the swing, he saw Blaine enter the tent, waving to Mercedes. Blaine looked up flashing him a smile and waving. Kurt smiled and waved back, wrapping the tape firmly into place.

Blaine crossed to the motorcycle, the wire it climbed traveling up to the other platform that the Flying Cheerios usually swung across to in practice, the one where Santana – whom Blaine had learned was the dark haired girl from the aerial act – took her trapeze. Kurt smiled down at him. Blaine was getting exceptionally good at the motorcycle stunt.

As Blaine climbed aboard the bike, Kurt felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Quinn, the short hair blonde, holding onto the bar and nodding to him. "Thanks Q," he said with a smile.

Chalking up his hands one more time, Kurt wrapped both hands firmly around the bar. His wrist screamed in pain but he ignored it, trying to push away the dull ache that spread up through his arm. Now was not the time to show his teammates that something was indeed very wrong. Kurt Hummel did not get injured. Kurt Hummel did not have accidents. Kurt Hummel did not make mistakes.

He sucked in a breath as he heard Blaine revving the motorcycle below him. Arching his form back, Kurt pushed off the platform, his legs straightening and ankles locking tight together as he swung out. He swung both legs forward, increasing the speed and height of the swing. His wrist strained with the flexing movement as he swung back. He ignored it. Down below, Blaine was starting his ascent up the wire.

Kurt managed a few more swings forward and back, maneuvering his aerial swing flawlessly. But than it happened. His wrist, gave the worst twinge yet, causing his hand to shake and the pain was so great, he reflexes immediately swung his hand from the bar. The sudden action broke his concentration and Kurt's graceful form slackened. In his haste to right himself and still ignore the massive pain in his wrist, his other hand pulled its grip.

The next thing Kurt knew, he was falling.

His mind went blank, trying to comprehend what was going on. He could just barely hear Quinn's shriek from the platform. The flying Cheerios were so good, they usually didn't practice with the aide of a safety net unless they were training a new flier, which they weren't.

None of them had ever fallen after they had perfected themselves and certainly, no one expected Kurt to be the first.

Kurt saw a million pictures flash through his head. His mind had dulled out the pain in his wrist as he realized that he was probably going to see the end of his life in just a few moments.

And then he felt strong arms from beneath him. The pale boy opened his eyes, which he hadn't even realized he had closed to see Blaine staring down at him. Blaine. The curly-haired boy was breathing hard. The motorcycle was revving on the wire beneath them. Blaine had sped up the wire and caught him.

"Are you okay?" Blaine asked, voice failing to remain steady. Kurt still ignored the pain in his wrist.

"I am now. Thank you for saving me Blaine." His voice was quiet and breathless. A smiled tugged at the corners of Blaine's mouth but he didn't say anything. Instead, the curly-haired boy held onto Kurt with one arm and used the other to maneuver the bike back down the wire to the floor.

It wasn't until the two of them were back on the floor that Blaine decided to speak.

"Kurt, what happened?" he asked. Kurt could hear the fear in the other boy's voice and his heart broke. He hadn't meant to scare Blaine. He hadn't meant to scare anyone. But now that they knew something was wrong, he couldn't hide it anymore.

Kurt let out a sigh as he heard the sound of footsteps. A few of his teammates, Finn, and Puck had just rushed over. Blaine was still holding Kurt in his arms. Kurt gave them all a weak smile, knowing that he was going to have to come clean. There was no way they would let him continue his aerial act now, not until the wrist healed and he knew he would have to tell them because they would know damn well that everything was not okay. If it were, Kurt would not have fallen.

He ran a hand over his face, his right hand and took a breath.

"I'm sorry guys," he said, giving his head a shake. "I injured my left wrist almost a week ago. I didn't want it to get in the way so I didn't tell anyone and I ignored it."

"Oh Kurt, you're so stubborn," Quinn cut in. Kurt gave her a weak smile.

"I guess it gave out on me up there. It was hurting really bad. The pain hasn't actually let up since it happened. I'm kind of worried about it," he admitted.

The people around him all exchanged looks. It was Finn who spoke up next. "Kurt, how did you injure your wrist?" he asked firmly. Kurt opened his mouth to reply when Finn stopped him. "Don't try to lie. We all know you're not clumsy so there's no way you could have just fallen and hit it."

Kurt sighed yet again. He knew that Finn was right. "Karofsky," he muttered under his breath. Blaine, Puck, and Finn all immediately felt anger flow through them and Kurt hastened on, not wanting them to go off looking for the stupid clown right than. "I decided to practice my sky ribbon while waiting for Blaine to arrive. Karofsky came in and well, he grabbed me by the shoulder and threw me off." He didn't feel much like details right than.

"That asshole! I'm going to beat his face in!" Puck spat angrily. He started to turn and march off, followed by Finn, when Kurt stopped them with his voice.

"There's more," he said quietly. They all looked at him.

"What do you mean Kurt?" Blaine asked. He could sense fear in the boy and clutched him closer, no one even caring that he was still holding the other boy in his arms. They seemed to be more interested in finding out what happened.

Kurt raised his eyes to Blaine's and for several second, blue-green-gray swirls met Blaine's hazel orbs. Kurt swallowed and Blaine saw that he was trying not to cry. Oh God, what had broken Kurt to such fear and…well, sorrow?

"He threatened to kill me," Kurt said, voice barely above a whisper.

"What the hell?" Finn shrieked. Kurt glanced over at him. There was nothing but red anger in his brother's eyes. Puck looked equally angry and both boys were ready to punch something. Kurt still had to finish and Blaine was holding him closer, trying not to cry into Kurt's shoulder because how could anyone want to threaten this perfect and beautiful boy? All he wanted to do was protect.

"Not just me," Kurt went on. Everyone stared at him and Finn and Puck were both swelling with anger. Kurt's eyes went back Blaine's. "He threatened your life too," he finished, his voice breaking and tears finally starting to fall. Blaine stared at him wide-eyed.

"That's it! That asshole either dies or gets kicked out of this circus!" Finn shouted. Before Kurt could protest, he and Puck had turned on their heels and stormed out of the tent. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess at what they were going to do.

But only a few moments later, both boys were storming back, an Asian girl – whom Blaine had learned was named Tina – boy in wheelchair, named Artie, and a tall woman with short blonde hair wearing a tracksuit following them.

"Porcelain," the blonde woman said.

"Hi Coach Sylvester." Blaine recognized the woman's name. She trained the Flying Cheerios. But what she was doing there, he didn't know. He was however grateful that something had stopped Finn and Puck from attempting to commit murder. Violence was never the answer.

"Asian and Wheels said that clown threatened your life," the woman went on. Kurt was slightly confused. He hadn't even noticed that Tina and Artie had been present when he'd told them all. "Is it true?"

Slowly, Kurt nodded his head. Coach Sylvester sighed and looked at Blaine.

"Young Bert Reynolds, take Porcelain to the nurse's trailer." Her eyes went back to Kurt. "I hate to do this Porcelain, but seeing as you're injured, I can't risk putting you in the aerials for a while. You have to do something that doesn't require the use of your wrist. Stay grounded. Work with the Titan Tumblers for a while." Kurt sighed heavily. He knew she was right. He couldn't keep flying through the air with an injured wrist. But if it was properly taken care of, he knew it would at least get better now.

"What about Karofsky?" Kurt heard Puck spit out as Blaine dismounted the bike and started following Coach Sylvester's orders.

Blaine was carrying him away, holding him to him as he heard her reply. "I'll take care of him."

That was the last of the conversation Kurt heard as they exited the tent. He knew that he could walk but he really didn't want to. His good arm was wrapped around Blaine's neck and Kurt was resting his head on the other boy's shoulder. He was incredibly strong, what with being able to easily carry Kurt. The pale boy found this to be just another thing that made him feel even stronger for the boy.

Was it love?

No, he was not going to think that. He would admit that he didn't feel closer to anyone than he did to Blaine but love? Kurt was only seventeen years old. He still had nearly two years left in the circus. He was in the middle of what would have been his junior year if he had been in a regular high school. He was too young for love right?

But there was no denying that he felt something. To be honest, it scared him. A part of him really wanted to be with Blaine. He had a feeling Blaine wanted to be with him too but neither of them felt that it was the right time for a relationship.

No, it wasn't the right time for a relationship.

Kurt let a sigh escape his mouth. He couldn't lie to himself anymore. He really wanted to be with Blaine, but for the sake of the circus and the timing, he was not going to let that happen, not now. There were other things he had to worry about.

He told himself firmly as Blaine rapped on the door to the nurse's trailer that now was not the time for a relationship, no matter how bad he wanted to be with Blaine.

Besides, there was one thing he valued more right than. That was Blaine's friendship. Kurt was dead scared that if they started something now, he'd ruin their status as friends forever.

He definitely didn't want that.

* * *

><p>That night as Kurt lay in bed, left wrist properly bandaged and a heating pad resting gently atop it, he allowed his mind to wander.<p>

Yes, he couldn't be with Blaine now, but he could definitely dream about it. He could dream about being with Blaine. God, he'd never felt such a strong desire to be with someone before. But what did it mean?

Kurt had sworn he'd been in love with Finn. And than he had sworn he had a crush on Sam, until it turned out that Sam was in fact straight. Kurt wasn't mad at the blonde boy though. It wasn't his fault he sent the wrong signals. But Kurt had been rather disappointed when he'd found out that Sam was indeed straight.

That frustrated the pale boy to no end. Until Karofsky had ended up kissing him, he was pretty sure he was the only gay boy in the entire circus. He knew he was definitely the only openly gay boy in the circus. But the prospect of knowing the only option he had at a relationship was a bully that pushed him around in order to deny his own sexuality and was afraid to step foot outside of the closet, made Kurt wish he wasn't.

Before Blaine showed up, Kurt had actually made an effort to be the straight boy. He went through a phase where he was ashamed of who he was. This was when Kurt's dad had started dating Finn's mom. And the few times McKinley had been back in Lima, Burt Hummel had spent an awful lot of time bonding with Finn. Kurt felt somehow like he was being pushed away because Finn was the straight son Burt hadn't been blessed with. So Kurt had done the only thing he thought would work.

He'd spent like a week pretending to be the butch boy. Dressing in flannel and baseball caps and even dating Brittany for a stint. Listening and singing Mellencamp, whom he knew his father was a fan of.

But in the end, all it had gotten from Burt was a speech telling him that Kurt's only job was to be himself and Burt's was for him to love him no matter what. That was all it took for Kurt to feel that he was still incredibly important to his father and he'd started being himself and opening up to the world again.

Since than, he embraced who he was. But it wasn't without the bullies in the circus making his life a living hell.

And then Karofsky had kissed him.

Kurt had been nothing but confused about that whole thing. He didn't understand why the bully had done that and instead of feeling like he had a powerful tool at his disposal, he'd kept it to himself. He wasn't one to out someone.

The boy suddenly shot up in his bed. He had just remembered another detail. Karofsky had threatened him with death then too.

He said if he told anyone about the kiss, he'd kill him. Kurt had told someone. Blaine. Oh dear God. Things just got a thousand times worse.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wha-bam! Now don't we hate that damn Karofsky even more? The pole swaying thing again is something I saw Bello do! And if you don't know what Russian Bar is, look it up on youtube. It's positively amazing! Pretty dangerous but absolutely amazing! If you watch videos of it, you'll get a better picture of what exactly Kurt was doing. :) Anyway, let me know what you think! Reviews make me smile! If you have suggestions for things you'd like to see in the story, don't be afraid to let me know! Next up, on the road to Toronto! This will likely be a chapter that is Klaine centric because since they'll be traveling, it will be them in their trailer. It will be a mellow chapter obviously but action will pick up again when their no longer on the road! Happy reading!**


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